Uber Hit With Lawsuit For Alleged Discrimination Against The Blind

Uber has to face up to a lawsuit that contends the ridesharing service discriminates against blind riders by not allowing them to bring service dogs along with them. The ruling was made on Friday by a US magistrate who gave the go-ahead for the lawsuit, which maintains that the ridesharing service is classified as a travel service and, as such, can be (maybe) held liable under the Americans with Disabilities Act for not accepting service dogs. Uber had challenged the lawsuit.

The ruling that Uber must face the lawsuit was made by Nathanael Cousins, a US Magistrate in California. The ridesharing service now has two weeks to give a response to the legal complaint; the plaintiffs, as expected, are said to be "pleased" with the judge's ruling.

The plaintiffs cite alleged cases where Uber drivers refused to accept service dogs into their cars, and one terrible alleged instance where a driver put a blind passenger's service dog in the car's trunk, then refused to pull over when the passenger realized what he had done.

Uber, however, says that it instructs its drivers to follow all laws pertaining to the transportation of service dogs. Said the ridesharing service in a statement, "The Uber app is built to expand access to transportation options for all, including users with visual impairments and other disabilities."

SOURCE: Reuters